Rising life expectancy in South Korea and redefining aging
Is there a secret to aging? According to recent data from the National Statistics Portal, the average life expectancy of South Koreans is expected to reach 84.3 years by 2023, an increase of 7 years from 10 years ago. This, coupled with increased longevity, has led to a shift in perceptions of aging, emphasizing the importance of healthy living in later life. Especially with the World Health Organization (WHO) giving aging a disease code MG2A in 2018, there has been a paradigm shift in recognizing aging as a manageable disease rather than just a natural phenomenon. This has led to the search for an integrated classification and treatment of age-related diseases, and a variety of research and approaches to healthy aging, including wellness, anti-aging, and reverse-aging, have been proposed.
Accelerated aging ages: 34, 60, 78
In 2019, a notable theory in aging research was put forward. It’s called the “aging booster” theory, which states that there are three aging accelerators in life. According to a study by Stanford University neuroscientist Tony Weiss-Coray and colleagues, humans age rapidly for one year each at ages 34, 60, and 78. These findings provide a new understanding of aging and emphasize the importance of health care at certain ages. In addition, changes in plasma proteins have opened up the possibility of identifying early signs of aging and predicting an individual’s aging status.
Advances in anti-aging drug research to delay aging
One of the major advances in anti-aging research has been the discovery that immunosuppressants and diabetes medications can be effective against aging. The drugs rapamycin and metformin have been used to treat immunosuppression and diabetes, respectively, but recent studies have shown that they have the potential to delay aging and extend life. These drugs work by inhibiting telomere shortening and delaying cellular aging, which offers new directions in the prevention and treatment of age-related diseases.
The latest in reverse aging research
Reverse aging research is gaining traction with advances in techniques to return aging cells to a younger state. The discovery of “Yamanaka factor” by Prof. Shinya Yamanaka is a technology that converts adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, demonstrating the possibility of reversing aging. In addition, David Sinclair and colleagues at Harvard University have identified the loss of epigenetic information as a major cause of aging, suggesting that it may be possible to reverse aging by controlling it. These studies are making important contributions to the search for new approaches to delay or reverse the human aging process.
Conclusion: What the future holds for healthy aging and reverse aging
The latest advances in aging research are opening up new possibilities for healthy management and, if possible, reversal of aging. Advances in anti-aging and reverse aging research are expected to have a significant impact not only on extending human lifespan, but also on preventing disease and maintaining a healthy life. This marks the dawn of a new era where we can move away from the traditional view of aging as a simple natural phenomenon and instead understand and improve the aging process through active management and research.
